Why Major Michigan Highways Need HOV Express Lanes

The United States has spent years of time and billions upon billions of dollars creating, building, and maintaining the interstate systems we used to travel across the country. Many of us use these systems to make our commute across town quicker while there are others who take road trips and truckers who travel the roads consistently.

Michigan is a very unique state when it comes to highways as we only have a few major highways that service the entire state. We have I-94, I-69, I-75, and US-131. We are also one of a few remaining states that don't take tolls and we also don't have express lanes which really limits traffic flow.

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When you travel around the country there are HOV express lanes on most if not all of the major highways in many other states. Now, this may not seem like a big deal but that's because many aren't aware of the benefits that HOV express lanes offer to drivers, especially those that are traveling in a hurry or a farther distance.

Driving on I-94 while there are several construction projects going on had my mind racing about how the highway could be more efficient moving forward. I began to compare our highway systems to those of the states that surround us and realize that there is a lack of express lanes.

Right now, there are multiple areas along I-94 where the road splits into single lanes and the left side at times gave feelings similar to express lanes. HOV express lanes are lanes that are used for single travelers, SUVs, and other high-paced traffic and are not open to trucks whatsoever. This allows for traffic in this lane to flow at a faster pace than traffic that remains in traditional lanes.

Could you imagine being able to drive through Michigan without having to deal with Semi-trucks, trailers, and other large vehicles that slow down traffic other than when merging on and off of the highway? They also tend to cut travel time by about 10 minutes when they are in use which could be clutch as well.